Monday, April 25, 2016

News from the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline & Support Program

“I Don’t Want To Be a Guinea Pig:
Understanding Clinical Trials” is the topic of a free forum to be held
on Tuesday May 24, from 6 to 8 pm, at Adelphi University in Garden City.
On the panel are George Raptis, MD, MBA, acting executive director,
Northwell Health Cancer Institute; Jan Stieb, RN. administrative
director, Clinical Research, Northwell Health Cancer Institute; and
Barbara, a current clinical trials patient.

Clinical trials are research studies that explore whether a medical
strategy, treatment, or device is safe and effective for humans. These
studies also may show which medical approaches work best for certain
illnesses or groups of people.

“’I don’t want to be a guinea pig’ is a frequent response from
patients offered cancer clinical trials,” says Dr. Raptis, “But without
clinical trials, today’s patients would be getting yesterday’s
treatments. And with the tremendous advances we are seeing in cancer
research together we are responsible for delivering a still brighter
future for our families and communities. Unfortunately, there is a lot
of misunderstanding about what clinical trials are, and what it means to
participate in one.” Dr. Raptis hopes that the panel discussion will
shed light on the clinical trials process, debunking myths and
perceptions.

The forum is a collaboration of the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast
Cancer Program and Northwell Health Cancer Institute. It will be held at
the Alumni House at Adelphi University (154 Cambridge Avenue, Garden
City). Reservations are required.

When the clock strikes Midnight on April 30th what happens to Autism Awareness?

Autism Awareness and Autism Acceptance

April is Autism Awareness Month, begun over 25 years ago by the
Autism Society of America, a leading grassroots autism organization,
existing to improve the lives of all affected by autism.
www.autism-society.org

In the late
90’s Portia Iverson and John Shestack started Cure Autism Now and made a
pledge to use their talents and influence in the entertainment industry
to make autism a household word. They did. Cure Autism Now later merged
into Autism Speaks www.autismspeaks.org in 2005, which is now one of
the largest autism organizations in the world, focusing on science and
advocacy.

In 2008,
Jacqueline Aidenbaum and Juan Carlos Brandt, high ranking employees at
the United Nations and parents of a three-year-old son with autism,
spearheaded World Autism Awareness Day. With the sponsorship of the
State of Qatar, and the support from Bob and Suzanne Wright founders of
Autism Speaks , April 2nd was approved by the General Assembly and is
now internationally recognized, encouraging Member States of the United
Nations to take measures to raise awareness about children and adults
with autism throughout the world.
.https://www.autismspeaks.org/news/news-item/%5Btitle-raw%5D-244.

Now hundreds of cities across the globe light their landmarks “Up Blue” on April 2nd to show solidarity of autism awareness.

The journey continued:

In 2011, Paula C. Durbin Westby began Autism Acceptance Month
http://www.autismacceptancemonth.com/about/, which has expanded to
become “a way of viewing Autism in a positive and accepting way.”

This year, even
Apple is getting into the act with a beautiful video of Dillan
Barmache, who uses his iPad to communicate his deep thoughts and
brilliance.
http://themighty.com/2016/04/apple-short-film-dillans-voice-shares-how-autistic-teen-dillan-barmache-uses-technology-to-speak/

Awareness and
Acceptance has led to better early identification and intervention,
research, funding, and more accommodations for people with autism and
their families.

April has been successful in bringing autism ‘out of the closet.’

But what
happens after 11:59p.m. April 30th and the clock strikes twelve? What
happens when the Sydney Opera House is no longer lit up blue; when
bright blue t-shirts have faded; when the media has become “autismed
out” and the new autism books are no longer number 1 on Amazon.

What happens May 1st?

Autism Appreciation

As my friend,
Dr. Stephen Shore, an adult with autism, international speaker, and
Professor at Adelphi University, enlightened me years ago, we need to
move away from awareness and just accepting autism towards: Appreciation.

We need to appreciate individuals on the autism spectrum every day, throughout the year. How do we open our eyes to and support the gifts, talents, and abilities of people with autism?

We all have strengths and weaknesses

In my book,
Seven Keys to Unlock Autism,
http://www.amazon.com/Seven-Keys-Unlock-Autism-Classroom/dp/0470644095,
I suggest that we must first accept our own challenges and acknowledge
that we all have ‘special needs’ depending on what environment we are
in. We all require different supports in different environments. For me,
technology sends me into a funk of confusion and paralysis - I need
tremendous support; but when I converse with others on the topics of
creativity, philosophy and spirituality, I am in a state of flow and
joy. When my son, with severe autism, is in a crowded classroom under
fluorescent lighting, he may run around the room hands over his ears,
too distracted and dys-regulated to focus. When in the Santa Monica
Mountains, he can lead his classmates, effortlessly, on every trail. An
outsider watching my son in his classroom would deem him low
functioning. In the outdoors, he would be called the leader.

I beg that we all stop using the terms ‘high functioning; low functioning” - insisting as Dr. Barry Prizant, author of Uniquely Human,
states, “We all have areas of strengths and weaknesses that create our
individual profiles. Children with autism just have more pronounced
strengths and weaknesses.” http://barryprizant.com/uniquely-human

Appreciation
means acknowledging and celebrating the strengths and abilities we are
all given. My son now works on an organic garden; I teach and coach
others in my creative methodologies. If people only looked at my son or
I as our deficits, we would feel anxious, alone, disconnected. When
appreciated for our assets and gifts, we become active contributors to
our society.

By focusing on
the strengths of every individual, we have an opportunity to bring out
and appreciate the gifts in all. My work with The Miracle Project
www.themiracleproject.org has led me to witness transformations when my
students are surrounded by love, acceptance and appreciation. A
non-verbal student types lyrics to our songs. A student, once too
frightened to even walk into a room of her peers, now performs Opera in
front of thousands. Families develop deep friendships as they see their
children blossom and connect to others.

We need to
listen to and appreciate the messages that those with autism bring.
The world really is too loud, too frenetic, disjointed, overwhelming.
People with autism recoil from this while “Normies” try to cope and make
sense of a ‘toxic’ world.

We need to
embrace and appreciate the many gifts, talents of those on the spectrum
and to help guide them to meaningful employment and lives. We also need
to appreciate the challenges that they and their families experience in a
society of disapproving looks and judgments.

To answer this
call, my friend Jess Block Nerren, a media specialist and parent to a
child with autism who is in remission from cancer, and I have joined
forces to create a video which goes deeper to appreciate those on the
spectrum. This new video is a quick-hitting segment showing the
positive impacts that people with autism have had on those with and with
out autism.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Adelphi
University College of Nursing and Public Health has announced a new
part-time Bachelor of Science in Nursing program -- offered evenings,
only at Adelphi’s Manhattan Center.

Due to start Fall 2016, this new program makes it possible for students to balance work, family and college.

The
convenience of evening classes makes Adelphi Manhattan the ideal choice
for part-time students who are prepared to pursue a bachelor’s degree
in Nursing.

This part-time Bachelor of Science
program at Adelphi's Manhattan Center combines the study of nursing
theory, research, clinical practice and community service. Dedicated to
the highest professional standards, this program instills an
appreciation for cultural diversity and an understanding of the various
applications of healthcare in a wide range of settings.

This
program emphasizes the nurse’s role in health promotion, long-term
care, research, advocacy, teaching and leadership management. The basic
nursing curriculum consists of a planned progression of courses that
build upon previous knowledge and develop skills at increasing levels of
competence. The lower-division nursing and the science courses are
prerequisite to the junior-level nursing courses. Throughout the
curriculum, concepts relating to the promotion of health, care during
illness, and long-term care are developed. Also emphasized are the
nurse’s roles in research, advocacy, teaching, change and management.

The
part-time undergraduate nursing program enables students who have
completed the prerequisite courses to earn their B.S. in Nursing in 8
terms (3 falls, 3 springs, and 2 summers) of part-time study.

Monday, April 4, 2016

Adelphi University will
recognize National Public Health Week, April 4-10, 2016, with numerous events
to promote awareness of a variety of health issues and celebrate those
individuals working to improve and build healthy communities.

Center for Health Innovation
is proud to host its inaugural TEDxAdelphiUniversity featuring presenters who
will collectively suggest ways we can improve ourselves, our communities, and
our society. On Tuesday, April 5, from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., a stellar
line-up of nine speakers will deliver TEDx Talks on topics of vital importance
around the theme of “What If…” Presenters include Francine Conway, Ph.D. ’99,
Jennifer Krol ’17, and Adelphi University President Christine M. Riordan,
Ph.D., among others. To get more information, follow at https://www.facebook.com/TEDxAdelphiU/ and https://twitter.com/TEDxAdelphiU.
We will be live tweeting and streaming from the event.

The Adelphi community will gather on Wednesday,
April 6, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. for a fun day of learning and interactive
activities in the Center for Recreation and Sports for the largest AUHealth
Fair to date. More than 70 vendors will participate and more than 15 student
research poster presentations will highlight the day. In addition, the Rollin
Colon will be available to tour and a grand prize raffle will be held with
giveaways including an iPad Mini and an Apple Watch.

Students, faculty, health
care professionals, community members and anyone interested in
the American health care crisis are welcome to attend “Place Matters—Is Inequality Making Us Sick?” on Thursday, April 7, in the Campbell Lounge. The free event hosted by the College of Nursing and
Public Health will feature a video documentary about neighborhood and
health and a panel discussion including Dr. Tonya Samuel, Dr. Todd Vanidestine,
and Dr. Pilar Martin, as moderator. Light refreshments will also be served.

To close out the week,
nearly 800 will walk and camp overnight starting Friday, April 8 for Adelphi’s
Relay for Life 2016, a fundraiser sponsored by the Center for Student
Involvement and Campus Recreation to support the American Cancer Society. The
objective of Relay for Life is to raise money for cancer research and cancer
patients, as well as spread cancer awareness, celebrate the lives of survivors,
remember those who lost their lives to cancer, and unite a community in the
fight against cancer. Join teams of students camp out in the Center for
Recreation and Sports from 6:00 p.m. on Friday until 6:00 a.m. on Saturday. Food,
games and activities will provide entertainment and build community. The
Adelphi community is encouraged to sign up and donate.